The 1987 CECAFA Cup was the 14th edition of the tournament. It was held in Ethiopia, and was won by the hosts. The matches were played between December 13–27.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Ethiopia |
| Dates | December 13–27 |
| Teams | 7 (from CECAFA confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Ethiopia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Zimbabwe |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 26 (2 per match) |
← 1985 1988 → | |
Group A
edit| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zanzibar
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Ethiopia
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
 Kenya
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
 Tanzania
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | –3 |
Group B
edit| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uganda
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
| Zimbabwe
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Zambia
|
1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | –4 |
 Malawi
|
Withdrew | |||||||
After competing one match, Malawi withdrew following the sudden death of the chairman of the FA of Malawi on December 13.